The towers at area airports are understaffed by as much as 30 percent, mostly due to a growing number of retiring controllers, he said.

The FAA has estimated that 7,100 controllers, or about 45 percent of its workforce, will retire by 2011, he said, adding that starting salaries for controllers have been cut, making recruiting harder.

“Controllers are the eyes and ears of airport safety,” Schumer said. “Last year, we saw that a reduction in controllers results in a spike in the number of close calls and even tragic accidents.”

He cited a Continental Airlines plane with 154 passengers that landed on the wrong runway at Newark International Airport last October.

“The FAA needs to stop playing Russian roulette with our air-travel safety and give their controllers the first-class treatment they deserve,” Schumer said.

Saying the FAA had reduced its fiscal-year 2008 budget for recruitment, training and hiring from $18.2 million to $15.9 million, he urged the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase that funding to $47.7 million.

But an FAA spokeswoman said the senator was using outdated staff levels.

“We’re not understaffed,” said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. “We are well staffed in New York City’s airports.”

She said the FAA hired 1,100 controllers in 2006 and expects to hire 1,300 this year.